The price of gold has increased to a record high in the world market in the last two years. What if this luxury item was available completely for free? After such an incredible news spread, extreme excitement has arisen in a remote village in the African country of Kenya.
Thousands of people are working day and night in the hope of changing their fate on the riverbank. The goal is one – if only a piece of gold can be found! An unprecedented gold rush is now underway in a small village called ‘Cheporor’ in the Kanyarkwat area of ​​Kapenguria constituency in West Pokot County, Kenya. Thousands of people have gathered there in the last two weeks.
According to a BBC report, this sudden ‘gold rush’ or gold-hunting trend is not accidental. A piece of gold accidentally found by a village goat herder acted as the catalyst for this huge craze.
How the mysterious discovery began
A few weeks ago, 33-year-old goat herder Manase Lomachar went out to look for his lost goat and saw a group of women on the riverbank, sifting gold from the river sand.
“I joined them. And that’s when we realized there really was gold in this area,” Lomacher told the BBC.
Lomachar found a gold nugget weighing just 3 grams there. A few weeks ago, he sold it for 36,000 Kenyan shillings (about 26,615 Indian rupees).
According to Lomacher, the quiet village was soon flooded with gold prospectors after news of his discovery spread. However, it is unclear whether this discovery alone was the cause of such a frenzy, or whether more gold has been found recently.
Arrival of 10,000 people, border crossings increasing
According to local authorities, at the height of the frenzy, about 10,000 people gathered in the village of Cheporo, a large part of whom came from different parts of Kenya, while the rest crossed the border from neighboring Uganda.
In this region, locals sometimes try to sift gold from the river, but no major finds are usually found. But this time, people are rushing to it regardless of all obstacles. Even a small amount of gold can turn the wheel of fortune for these ordinary people. Many have said that if they earn some extra income from here, they will be able to run their families comfortably.
Administration’s comments and doubts
“A group of young men first found a significant amount of gold. The next day, women made another large find in the same area,” West Pokot County Deputy Commissioner Samuel Kyari told the BBC.
According to officials, these two key discoveries have led to a significant increase in the number of people coming in in recent days. Kyari said local small gold traders have told them that on average, about 100 sellers are coming to them every day. However, it is not 100% certain whether the shiny metal they are finding is actually gold or not. It is also not yet proven whether there is a specific or large gold mine in the area from a geological perspective.
New opportunities and crises in the economy
Some are finding gold on their foreheads, some are counting their days in hope—this opportunity has given rise to new businesses in the village. With the presence of thousands of people, more than 200 temporary shops selling food, water, and essential goods have been set up in the village. This has created a kind of income opportunity for the locals.
However, the sudden influx of thousands of outsiders has put the infrastructure of this small village under extreme threat. There is an acute shortage of drinking water and the lack of proper sewage disposal system is increasing health risks day by day.
